If you plan to stock a species of sunfish my recommendation would be to give the SMB a substantial head start... I would make sure you give your original stocking of SMB at least 3-4 years of growth before stocking the sunfish. That should allow the original SMB to be well over 12" with some maybe pushing 15"+ to better control your sunfish spawn. If the sunfish go in with the bass, their first spawn will quickly outgrow the mouth gape of the limited numbers of SMB and too many young sunfish will make it to where no SMB are big enough to eat them. Whereas, if you stock your SMB well in advance, even with their smaller mouth gape, a 15" SMB can eat a much bigger sunfish a properly control the sunfish spawn keeping them from stunting.

As far as sunfish species go, I agree RES are not an option as you are too far north. I would skip BG, they just have too high a fecundity and will most likely overpopulate in your pond with only SMB and WE feeding on them. PS would be a better option, they spawn only once a year, do well in cooler environments and are just darn pretty to look at! Although they struggle to top 6" with a 9" fish a true monster. A number of New England hatcheries have them, so sourcing them shouldn't be to big an issue. LES(longear sunfish) can be found into Canada(northern LES subspecies), so they certainly handle cold water. However, they are not native to Vermont. Sourcing them would be a nightmare if they were even legal to stock. A strong species to consider is the RBS(redbreast sunfish).

They are native to Vermont, are another pretty species and do well in rocky/sandy ponds. SMB and RBS go hand in hand here in the east in most rivers... They can run a bit larger than PS, with a big one being 8" and a monster being anything over 10". There are a couple of hatcheries that sell them in New England and several that sell them in the southeast. Even the unusually rosey red morph that is a pinkish golden hue.



In 4 acres, the stocking of even controlled TM can really cause issues. Figuring a TM can reach 36" in 3 years and 48" in 8, think about how many and how big of a YP and SMB a 36"-48" TM can eat... Just 4 could really hammer your population. If you want a walleye fishery, you're going to have to stock 8"+ fish regularly to keep a population around. Even at 16", a 36" TM could gobble them down... Think very carefully before stocking TM into a 4 acre pond! If you need an Esox species, consider CP. They max out around 30" with 20" fish being more common...

Your best best at getting a trout to survive is no doubt the brown trout. They are the most tolerant of higher water temps and lower DO levels. You can always try brook and rainbow trout first and if they fail, try browns. Yes, they do get smart and can get quite large and piscavorous. Keep the stocking numbers reasonable and I don't think they will cause many issues. If anything they will help you control the smaller PS, RBS or other sunfish young as they will hammer the snot out of them in the winter when they are active and the sunfish are mostly dormant. I doubt you will be able to find a hatchery source for any trout other than the big 3 and perhaps tiger trout which are also a predatory option.

I don't think a bowfin here or there is gonna make a big difference. 4 acres is a reasonable amount of biomass to play with and gives you room to play that a 1 acre pond just doesn't afford.

If you have the ability to catch and correctly ID wild forage fish, there are three excellent species native to VT which would be a better option than FHM as they could better handle SMB/WE predation and would be more likely to lead to sustaining populations. Banded killifish, bluntnose minnow and northern redbelly dace. If you are willing to put some work in, they would be worth your efforts. If you are able to collect a couple hundred or so of each species and stock them this late summer/fall or next spring, with no or newly stocked predators they have a great chance of establishing. Attempting to get them to take hold after your predatory fish are established will be tough. Take a look at the photos, these species are on the easier side to ID, particularly the northern redbelly dace and banded killi.

male and female bluntnose minnow in spawning condition


non spawning bluntnose minnow


banded killifish male


banded killifish female


northern redbelly dace male


northern redbelly dace female/juvenile


Please post some pics of your pond! Sounds like it is a beauty with lots of potential!

Here's a list of Vermont hatcheries... Looks like they all only sell trout, but perhaps they sell warm/cool water fish as well, Give them a call and check.

Sweet Water Trout Hatchery
Shaye & Jennifer Collins
Collins Mill Road
Newport Center, VT. 05857
Phone: 802-744-6553
(Brook, Brown & Rainbow Trout)

Matt Danaher
737 Eastham Road
Shrewsbury, VT. 05738
Phone: 802-492-3442
(Brook & Rainbow Trout)

Essex Technical Center
Hugh Gibson
3 Educational Drive
Essex Junction, VT. 05452
Phone: 802-879-5569
Rainbow Trout

Riverbend Career and Technical Center
Tom Smith
Oxbow Drive
Bradford, VT. 05033
Phone: 802-222-5212
(Brook, Brown & Rainbow Trout)

Mountain Foot Farm
Curtis D. Sjolander
154 Blakely Road
Wheelock, VT. 05851
Phone: 802-626-9471
(Brook, Brown & Rainbow Trout)

Peak Pond Farm
Louis Warlick
RR1, Box 563
Randolph Center, VT. 05061
Phone: 802-728-5065
(Brook & Rainbow Trout)

Thomas Morgan
P.O. Box 252
Randolph, VT. 05060
Phone: 802-728-9306
(Brook & Rainbow Trout)

Michael Gross
1221 Happy Hollow Road
South Royalton, VT. 05068
Phone: 802-763-7326
(Brook & Rainbow Trout)